Freelance Love (8 page)

Ian escorted Morgan to his car, opening the passenger door and
waiting until she had seated herself before shutting the door. As he drove, he
seemed to remember how to speak.

“Wow, you look beautiful! I like that dress on you – the color
suits you.”

Morgan smiled again. “It looks like we both had the same idea
about color, doesn’t it? You clean up pretty well, yourself, editor!” She felt
the need to joke a little to lighten the suddenly sensuous atmosphere in Ian’s
car.

At the restaurant, a tall, lithe server introduced herself to
them and explained the day’s specials. Ian ordered a bottle of wine, which they
sipped as they decided what they wanted to eat. While they waited for their
food, they talked about themselves.

“I always wanted to work with words and my teachers pointed out
how easily I found others’ mistakes when we exchanged papers to critique. The
English language has always been easy for me. I became the editor of our
college newspaper when I was only a junior, and I kept that position until I
graduated. For several years, I worked for one of the largest papers in
Seattle, then, when that paper started downsizing, I decided to move to New
Mexico. I’ve always loved the Southwest, and the southern part of this state
has so much to offer,” Ian said. “What about you? What pulled you into
writing?”

“I just love to write. Whether it’s an instructional or explanatory
piece, or something that educates my readers, I get a charge from communicating
something new to them. I have some fiction ideas that I’ve written down, but I
haven’t had much time to outline them. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to do so
once my lawsuit has been tried or settled, either way.”

“I think you’ll win. I know you – your ethics and love of the
written word. You’re not going to cheat your managing editors or the magazines
by outsourcing. It’s just not in you to do so, and I think Lily saw that once
she went through your body of work. Mack’s gonna lose and he’s gonna lose big –
maybe not in dollars. Instead, his reputation is going to take a huge hit when
his peers see what he was willing to stoop to to ruin you,” Ian predicted.

Ian’s words of support caused Morgan to tear up unexpectedly. She
raised her head slightly so they wouldn’t run down her cheeks. She inhaled
deeply and looked at him once she knew the tears wouldn’t overflow and fall.
“Thank you – you don’t know how much that means to me. I do love writing –
have, ever since I was in elementary school. I remember one assignment when I
was in, oh, the fifth or sixth grade. When our teacher gave us the assignment,
I was so excited because I could allow my imagination to go wild. When we had
finished writing them and read them in front of the class, I listened to what
my classmates had written. I think two girls collaborated because their stories
were about the same character – a talking girl mouse. One girl started off and
she talked about this mouse who wanted to have adventures, but was afraid. It
was . . . cute. Not so much good as it was unique in a cutesy way. The other
girl continued with the mouse ‘can’ting’ on the adventures she wanted to have.
When it was my turn, I had written about a girl who was dealing with classmates
who were targeting her – you see, these girls that had written about this mouse
had targeted me. They’d bring little toys from home and hide them in my desk,
then they’d complain to the teacher that I’d stolen their things. Our teacher
had talked to me one time already, and I told them I hadn’t. Well, I came in
early from recess and I saw them standing over my desk with the top open and
they were putting something in. I was wearing sneakers, I think, so I just
backed out and found our teacher and told her what I’d seen. She talked to the
two of them and the whole thing was over, thankfully, because the next step
would have been to call all our parents. That wouldn’t have gone over well at
home because my parents were pretty strict and had high expectations of us.
Anyway, that’s what my story came from. It wasn’t until I went back to school
and earned my journalism degree that I looked at my desire to write books
again. Other than outlining a few story ideas and writing down ideas as I get
them, I haven’t actually begun writing. My plan is to start on one of those
outlines once the judge decides on my case - that’s a definite,” Morgan said.

After the two finished eating, they continued talking over their
wine and plates of rich tiramisu. Finally, Ian paid the bill and left a sizable
tip on the table.

“Would you like to view the sunset from the university? I know
the perfect spot,” he said.

Morgan looked at him with a smile. “I think I know where you’re
talking about – student family housing just east of the ag fields, right?”

“You got it. Let’s go.” Placing his hand at Morgan’s back, just
under her shawl, he felt his skin tingle where he touched her. He knew he was
going to have a very hard time keeping his hands off her.

Morgan felt the same tingle and she hoped they would do some
kissing – just not too much. She was afraid of her reaction to his lips and
touch, but she also wanted to explore how they made her feel.

Ian parked his car on the side of Sam Steele Drive and they sat
on a large rock with a plaque proclaiming the land to be the property of New
Mexico State University. Ian had lifted Morgan so she could sit on the rock,
then he joined her. They watched the sky turn a dark, orange-pink hue as the
sun began falling below the western horizon. Hills, buildings and the nearby
interstate slowly faded before the splendor of the sunset. The sky was free of
clouds, so the atmosphere and clear air both allowed the sun and its setting
beauty to take center stage. Morgan’s spirit calmed as she watched the sun
slowly set.

Ian was very aware of the petite woman at his side, but he also
knew that, if they were meant to be, it would happen. He allowed his arm to
drape naturally behind Morgan’s back. Leaning back, he allowed his arm to touch
Morgan, and he experienced the now-familiar electrical tingles that this
contact caused. Ian pulled his gaze away from the beauty of the vivid sunset so
he could gauge Morgan’s reaction to the touch of his arm on her back. His gaze
focused on the small pulse beating just under her chin. He saw it speed up
slightly, feeling drawn to press his lips on the irresistibly sexy spot on her
neck. As his lips made contact, he heard Morgan’s soft inhalation, which made
his own heartbeat rocket up.

Morgan turned toward Ian, slipping her arms around his neck, as
if to hold on. Closing her eyes, she felt Ian’s soft lips settle onto her
mouth, evoking a passionate response. Oddly, she felt safe and . . . loved as
she kissed Ian. She was only dimly aware of their surroundings as vehicles
passed by on Union Avenue. Finally, needing to catch her breath, she broke
contact with Ian’s mouth and looked into his now stormy, dark-blue eyes. The
planes of his face appeared to be sculptured from stone as he battled his own passionate
reaction.

Ian’s eyes traveled over Morgan’s flushed face. Her brown eyes
now looked like a bottomless pool and her lips were swollen from their kisses.
He grunted low in his throat as he shifted slightly to relieve the pressure in
his groin.

“Uh, maybe we should go before we put on a show for everyone
passing by,” he whispered.

Morgan blushed, looking down. As she did, she saw a unmistakable
lump in Ian’s slacks. Raising her eyes to his, she nodded. “Yes, please get me
home. I think we’ve, well, we’ve talked enough for tonight – that is, it’s
getting late and I’m tired,” she hastened to say, not wanting to leave the
impression that she wanted to take him to bed.

***

The following Monday, Morgan was deep in making needed edits to
one of the articles she had written the previous week. She absently picked up
the phone, forgetting to check caller I.D.

“Hello, this is Morgan speaking. How may I help you?”

“You can help me by droppin’ that goddamn lawsuit if I quit
buggin’ you to come back to work for my store. That’s killin’ me with other
business leaders. I promise, I’ll stop buggin’ you – now just drop the damn
thing!”

Morgan paused, thinking. This is really affecting him! Except
that, I know he’s lying through his teeth. He won’t stop bugging me. He just
wants to take my power away from me so he can put me into another bad spot.

“No, John. I’m not dropping it. You must think  I’m colossally
stupid if you think I’ll do so. Your performance at The Shed let me know that
you don’t intend to leave me alone. Even more, your attempt to defame and
blackmail me with Lily told me what your true intentions are. You don’t like
that I quit and became my own boss. Why, I can only guess. All I know is that I
enjoy my work – I only worked at your store because I needed the money while I
was in school. This is what my education was for, John. If you can’t even try
to understand that, then you’re hopeless. The only thing that’ll stop you is my
lawsuit. Goodbye.” Morgan disconnected the call, turned the phone to “silent” and
set it back in its base. After the call, she found herself unable to focus on
her work, so she went out to her backyard, where she turned her face up to the
hot light of the day, making herself focus on the benefits of her freelancing
life. After several minutes of her meditation, she felt more able to return to
her proofing and writing.

Several hours later, she heard her cell phone ringing. Checking
the caller I.D., she saw that Rick was on the line.

“Hey, Rick! How goes it?”

“Very well, actually! How about you?”

“Better, now that I told John I wasn’t going to drop my lawsuit.
Do you have any news for me?”

“Oh, Lord, he called again? Or did he try to stop by your house?”

“He called. Begged me to drop the lawsuit and ‘promised’ he stop
bugging me. Thing is, I know that, once I do drop the lawsuit, he’ll figure
he’s got the upper hand again. There’ll be nothing to stop him from pulling the
same stunt. So I told him ‘no.’”

“Good. Because I filed the motion for a restraining order.
Contact like this morning’s would be forbidden. Things continue to look better
and better for you, which is why John tried this. He knows it – his attorney
told him that he stands a damn good chance of losing. He told me that he’s
trying to get John to agree to a sizable settlement. Okay, my next appointment
just got here, so I’d better go. I just wanted to give you this update,” Rick
said.

“Hey, Rick, thanks. You’re earning your contingency fee, you know
that?”

“I know. John and his stupidity are actually making it easier. Of
course, knowing that you know your stuff, that helps, too. I’d really better
get going. I’ll call again when I have more news.”

“Okay, thanks! Have a great one,” Morgan said as she hung up.

After receiving this piece of happy news, Morgan found it easy to
return to her work. She finished proofing all her work, just as Ian called.

“Hey, Morgan, how are you?”

“I’m fine.” Morgan breathed a sigh of relief – it sounded as if
Ian was in full editor mode. “Are you calling to set up a meeting for this
week?”

“Yeah. Come to my house on Wednesday, at about 11. I’ll have
lunch for us so we can work and eat. Bring your laptop as well.”

“Wednesday, 11, laptop and lunch. I’ll be there. See you!” Morgan
hung up. Sitting at her desk, she thought about her experiences with the charge
of defamation, finding Rick and filing the lawsuit.

You know, Morgan, there’s likely to be other freelance writers –
and editors – who may be facing the same experience. Rick’s legal help is
making it look as though you’ll win, so why not tell others about what you did
when you were charged with outsourcing? Write an e-book and get Ian to edit it.

Grabbing a pen and a fresh pad of paper, she wrote down her idea,
listing the pros and cons. Looking at her list, she called Rick and left a
message with his office assistant.

“I’d just like to know if this is a viable idea and if it could
potentially help other writers and editors who may face this kind of a
situation. Yes, if you could have Rick call me back, I’d be grateful. Thanks!
Bye!” After hanging up, she continued to think about her idea.

Could I write an e-book? How long would it be? How complex is the
process of self-publishing and would it be worth my time and effort?

Morgan picked up her cell phone. With a tingling finger and madly
beating heart, she called Ian.

“H’lo, this is Ian Brady, how can I help you?”

“Ian, it’s Morgan. I had an idea and I’d like to discuss its
potential with you. You know how I’ve been going through this outsourcing
charge, how I had to find other work while my work was being reviewed – and how
I’ve filed a lawsuit.”

“Yeah, what’s up? I’d like to hear this idea,” said Ian.

“After we finished talking a while ago, I realized other writers
– and editors – are open to the same kind of charges I faced. Now, granted,
I’ve been fortunate because I’ve been able to find an attorney who’s helping
me. He’s been great in taking my case through the courts and making  John back
off from me. Anyway, other writers and editors could probably benefit from
knowing my experiences and how I’ve responded to them and what I’m doing. I’m
thinking that an e-book would be a good tool, if you’d agree to edit it.”

“How long would this e-book be? Do you know?”

“Well, that would depend on how much I plan to include – like the
prelude, when John actually called Lily with his allegations. Definitely what I
did to continue supporting myself and to find Rick and hire him. Also, the
outcome of my lawsuit and probably the aftermath – what happens with any award
– or no award, and what happens to John.”

“Hmmm. You know, this isn’t a bad idea, Morgan. Write up and
outline and bring it with you on Wednesday. You’d probably want to get Rick’s
input as well. I’ll edit it for you at my usual rate. You’d need to find
someone to format it before you upload it and publish it,” Ian said.